🛠️ Member Build Overtrail Upgrades (1 Viewer)

[YellowLab]

I live by 3 Lexus dealership so i would just drive and pick up one. The link is just for reference.

Thanks for the part number! I ordered the exhaust today - we'll see how long it takes. AFE is about 80 miles from me - so should be fast shipping

 

[Bluegill]

Nice! Don’t suppose you took a before pic of the factory exhaust? Does this new one just get it up and out of the way?

 

[YellowLab]

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The new one eliminates the can just behind the exhaust and tucks it up inside

 

[Bluegill]

I don't think the spring bolts are anything special - I'd think that any auto parts store would have a generic set. Most I've seen are an actual BOLT with a fixed nut that is part of the bolt on one end instead of the setup being a pin or stud with independent bolts on both ends. I thought I was going to have to make a run to the store for the bolts but then I was able to break them free.

 

[YellowLab]

What fun is it buying a knock off bolt from China at O’Rielly’s, when I can pay twice as much for the same bolt but private labeled by Lexus and have the dealership experience???

 

[YellowLab]

We need an appropriate logo for product reviews and builds:

 

[Bluegill]

That's awesome....I approve!

 

[Bluegill]

 

[nonamex]

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A familiar sight! It will be the cleanest it'll ever look right now. How's the ride?

 

[Bluegill]

Ride is very nice, very composed. Looking forward to getting it out off road. It's in the Lexus shop now getting 25k service, oil change, rear camera recall, and another new windshield.

 

[serbiansizzle]

Ride is very nice, very composed. Looking forward to getting it out off road. It's in the Lexus shop now getting 25k service, oil change, rear camera recall, and another new windshield.

DId you spring for the Lexus Windshield warranty? I ended up buying it for OEM replacements for the first 5 Years. With my luck, I won't crack a windshield until 6 years in.

 

[JoeMing]

Installed the aFe Power Vulcan Series 2-1/2 IN to 3 IN 304 Stainless Steel Axle-Back Exhaust System.

See this link also:
Vulcan Series 2-1/2 IN to 3 IN 304 Stainless Steel Axle-Back Exhaust System


It's a quality item. It came to $330 shipped with a 10% coupon for signing up for emails on their website.

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Installation was pretty simple. Getting to the bolts underneath is a bit difficult but the hardest part was getting the spring bolts/pins loose from the stock exhaust. aFe provides bolts and washers to anchor the stock pins to the aFe flange but they instruct you to re-use the actual springs, bolts securing the springs, and the pins.

My photos from underneath the truck of the spring bolts and disassembly and reassembly didn't turn out. Normally I'd crawl back under to re-take the photos to provide the best possible reader experience but I just dropped my truck off at Westcott Designs to have the King suspension installed. I beg your forgiveness. Here's a parts diagram showing where the spring bolts are in the system:

View attachment 18900

Once I removed the stock exhaust, I had to break the pins free from the stock flange by securing the stock exhaust in a vice and then screwing the spring bolts back down tight (without the springs) and over-torquing them a bit to break the pins free. I applied a little PB Blaster first. Then I had to grab the pin with a vice grip to get the bolt back off, then the pins spun free by hand. The stock square bolts on the backside of the flange that the pins screw into are welded in place.

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The spring bolt holes on the aFe flange are bigger that the stock holes and the pins were loose in there so I used their washers on the bottom and a couple new washers on top under the nut they provided.
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I slipped the clamp on the tailpiece, fit everything together loosely, got the rubber hangers in place (a little dab of bearing grease helps), and then torqued down the spring bolts and then the clamp bolt.
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The exhaust tucks up much better than stock and no more looking at that ugly black resonator box under there. It sounds good, not too much louder than stock. It has a nice little snarl to it and, most importantly, no drone at cruising speeds. You can't even hear it on the highway. My wife didn't notice a thing, even standing outside of the garage waiting for me to back out when I started the truck. Then again, she didn't notice a new steel bumper and winch on an old Land Rover for nearly a year and she didn't notice the Westcott pre-load collar lift and new Method wheels and 35" tires on the GX until my son spilled the beans a few weeks after installation.

I've put links to short youtube video/sound clips on the other thread:

Vulcan Series 2-1/2 IN to 3 IN 304 Stainless Steel Axle-Back Exhaust System

Just installed mine! For those pins a 10 torq e socket would remove it no problem. Install took me 1 hour and that’s me being lazy to take down the spare.

 

[JoeMing]

Not really - the shipping there is as much as the bolts. I just ordered from the local dealer; shipping was $10 otherwise and dealer is 5 miles away.

Thank you for the part number!!

Reuse the old springs. It’s very easy to remove with a 10 E torq socket

 

[YellowLab]

View attachment 19051

Damn that's sexy!

 

[YellowLab]

Just installed mine! For those pins a 10 torq e socket would remove it no problem. Install took me 1 hour and that’s me being lazy to take down the spare.

Any 'oh shit' moments?

 

[JoeMing]

Any 'oh shit' moments?

Not at all. Followed all of @Bluegill instructions. Except for the pins I used a torts socket.

 

[YellowLab]

Just installed mine! For those pins a 10 torq e socket would remove it no problem. Install took me 1 hour and that’s me being lazy to take down the spare.

How was it to remove the bolts from the old section and reuse; know BG had to use a vice.

 

[JoeMing]

How was it to remove the bolts from the old section and reuse; know BG had to use a vice.

The tip is a 10mm E - torx socket. So I didn’t use a vice grip

 

[Bluegill]

My pins were so stuck that the torx stripped the tiny socket head.

 

[YellowLab]

My pins were so stuck that the torx stripped the tiny socket head.

You both recommend dropping the spare tire down?